US Vows To Go It Alone in Syria

[icyfroth]

We all seem to be ignoring the elephant in the room ( no offence intended to our resident pink pachyderm):

UN powers deadlocked as Assad vows resistance

NEW YORK (AFP) - The United States made it clear Thursday that it was ready to act alone to launch a punitive strike against Syria's chemical-armed regime, as top UN powers remained deadlocked.

Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad vowed to resist any military intervention, and the governments of US allies Britain and France struggled to win domestic political backing for action.

Key US ally Britain had mounted an improbable bid to win UN backing for military action, but a meeting of the permanent Security Council members broke with no apparent breakthrough.

The 45-minute meeting was the second since Britain proposed a draft resolution to permit "all necessary measures" to protect Syrian civilians after a suspected chemical weapons attack last week.

US warships armed with scores of cruise missiles are converging on the eastern Mediterranean, and US military officials have said they are ready to launch a powerful barrage against regime targets in Syria.

Assad's ally Russia has blocked all attempts to toughen international sanctions against Damascus or authorize outside force to punish or unseat the regime.

Assad remained defiant in the face of the Western threats.

"Syria will defend itself in the face of any aggression," state television cited him as telling a visiting delegation of Yemeni politicians.

He vowed that any attack would result in "victory" for the Syrian people.

His regime has denied using chemical weapons and blamed "terrorist" rebels.

Click here to read whole article: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/18700561/assad-vows-to-defend-syria-amid-military-buildup/

The US would have to be the most war-mongering nation since Rome!

Why don't they butt out of middle-eastern politics?

They say they have a humanitarian duty to intervene but they are just destabilising the whole region and contributing to civilian deaths.

[icyfroth]

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@poddster wrote:

It seems like just another war that the US has to have to keep its economy buoyant and clear the streets of thugs by turning them into cannon fodder in another country.

Anyone ever wondered if perhaps the US may have had a hand in the use of chemical weapons as part of a false flag covert op? 

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There's talk that the US is supporting the rebels by supplying arms and ammunition. Assad says that the rebels staged the attack in order to frame the government.

[icyfroth]

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@monman12 wrote:

I do wonder what  anti-Maccas people  would have thought of  John Curtin's decision to invite the Americans to use Australia as their Pacific base.

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Probably no different to what they thought of this:

Up to 2,500 US Marines will be stationed in Australia by 2017 under a new agreement announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US president Barack Obama.

Ms Gillard confirmed the deployment during a joint press conference with Mr Obama only hours after he touched down in Canberra on his whirlwind visit.

She says 200 to 250 Marines will be stationed in Darwin for training from next year, with numbers building up to 2,500 over the next five years.

"It is a new agreement to expand the existing collaboration between the Australian Defence Force and the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force," she said.

Our alliance has been a bedrock of stability in our region, so building on the alliance through this new initiative is about stability.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

"What this means in very practical detail is from mid-2012 Australia will welcome a company-sized rotation of 200 to 250 Marines in the Northern Territory for around six months at a time.

"Over a number of years we intend to build on this in a staged way."

The US Air Force will also be given more access to Australian bombing ranges and training facilities in remote areas of the Northern Territory.

The announcement by the two leaders comes as Australia and the US mark the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance, the central security agreement between the two countries.

Click here for whole article: Obama Visit 2011

[the_great_she_elephant]

They've left any useful  intervention far too late anyway. If there ever was a time to go in, it was early on when the opposition was a moderate and cohesive, force, capable of forming a  democratic government. Now it is a hotchpotch of splinter groups, at odds with each other and quite likely dominated by Islamist extremists.

My prediction is that If Assad falls, the result will be a brutal scramble for power and Syria will be left in a worse state than she is in now.

[icyfroth]

very much like what's happening in Egypt.

[spotweldersfriend]

A possible election winner for Kev & Tone if they announce we will get involved in another invasion,but that sort of decision usually only occurs in NZ in these here parts.

[poddster]

did you read the first part of my post John?

I notice you didn't make a comment on that.

The US is good at one thing at least, manufacturing war and weapons it is caught in an iteration loop with a slight positive feedback.

The US economy depends on it in one way or another. either outright war or some other means of population control.

[not_an_eloi]

david letterman on 'is programme, last night:  "so we should just go and kill him"  

[***super_nova***]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

They've left any useful  intervention far too late anyway. If there ever was a time to go in, it was early on when the opposition was a moderate and cohesive, force, capable of forming a  democratic government. Now it is a hotchpotch of splinter groups, at odds with each other and quite likely dominated by Islamist extremists.

My prediction is that If Assad falls, the result will be a brutal scramble for power and Syria will be left in a worse state than she is in now

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How come we can see that problem arising, but it somehow escapes the people in power?  Haven't they learned anything from Iraq?

[carls*world]

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@***super_nova*** wrote:

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

They've left any useful  intervention far too late anyway. If there ever was a time to go in, it was early on when the opposition was a moderate and cohesive, force, capable of forming a  democratic government. Now it is a hotchpotch of splinter groups, at odds with each other and quite likely dominated by Islamist extremists.

My prediction is that If Assad falls, the result will be a brutal scramble for power and Syria will be left in a worse state than she is in now

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How come we can see that problem arising, but it somehow escapes the people in power?  Haven't they learned anything from Iraq?

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Or perhaps they can see it quite clearly, and rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect.
I don't for one minute, believe those at the top have a mindset anything like us mere mortals, with totally different agendas in mind, than harmonious world peace.

*hint : world domination - easier to achieve while the targets are in complete disarray*

[***super_nova***]

I am sure Assad being aligned with Putin has a lot to do with it